


Everyone Lies and Everyone Dies

by northpeach



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling, Katekyou Hitman Reborn!
Genre: Gen, HP: EWE, Harry is Skull, Post-Hogwarts, Skull DeMort is Harry Potter, Skull!Harry
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-11-27
Updated: 2015-11-27
Packaged: 2018-05-03 13:48:29
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 13,173
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5293472
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/northpeach/pseuds/northpeach
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>They labeled him as the weakest. They're mafia, they should have known better about secrets. Just because he is so clearly, so easily read, they assume that's all there is. He is weak. This is what they 'know'. Skull laughs. His lies are perfect, just as his mask he's worn for years. Yet all that comes crumbling down with a single question. Skull DeMort, in remembrance of his war, of his enemy. Of what he's lost and what to never be, even when he has the very thing Voldemort tried so hard to grasp.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Everyone Lies and Everyone Dies

_I dreamed of the war again. Of the blood and the death, the smoke and the fire. We were children, defending our home, our lives and our family. We were children striving for vengeance for the dead, for our revenge against the dark. We were children and this was not our fault. It wasn't my fault, everyone said._

_I dreamed of running through the ruins, past the bodies of those I had taught, those I had promised I would end the war. I stepped over them, ran past them as the walls came tumbling down. Stone stained so darkly red and bodies so still,_ Avada Kadavra  _would have been a mercy compared to what some had suffered._

_The castle fell as I ran through corridors with gaping holes in the sides, down crumbled stairs and ducking from falling debris. The one place I had first called home. It was home to many, I knew. It wasn't like the Burrow, or Grimmauld Place where those I called friend and family stayed and made me feel welcome. It was the place where I could simply be._

_Of course, the expectations were different, opposites even, but even through that, it was_ home.

_Something I haven't got now._

_It's been so long since I've dreamed. The Curse's influence, I suppose. I was glad for it._

_..._

Skull paused in his writings, tensing as the creaking of wood sharpened his focus to his surroundings. He held his breath and listened. The birds were still chirping in the early morning and the sun was barely peeking over the horizon. He could very faintly hear the normal sounds of his fellow Arcobaleno sleeping in their shared house. Slowly, he relaxed, assuring himself that it was simply the creaking of an old house, unused to the weight of adults the seven now were since Sawada Tsunayoshi had broken the Curse. Well, six and a half considering Yuni was still a child.

Raising his quill, he returned to his paper, casting one more look into the shadows of the corners of the front room, aside from the one he was carefully tucked away in.

...

_It's been at least three months since the Curse was broken and a week since Verde gave us back our adult forms. My magic came back with a vengeance. As did my nightmares. My scars are so much more visible, the words so easily read now._

_Somehow, we all ended up in the house we first started in all those years ago. Although her granddaughter is here, it still feels as if someone is missing. She was someone who looked at me and saw the scars. I always thought that was…amusing? Something like that. Just that the self-proclaimed 'Greatest Hitman in the World' couldn't look at me, at 'the Great Skull-sama~!'and see a broken soldier, lacking the will to live. Instead he looked at me and saw a coward. A lackey. Someone without a spine who surrenders to those stronger than him, someone afraid of getting hurt._

_An immature child._

_I laughed so hard I cried when I realized that fact._

_'Greatest Hitman in the World', my arse._

_Luce. Aria. Yuni._

_The only three I have know, save HG, the Ws, SB, RL, to ever see past the smile on my face. Of course, knowing him, that greasy git as well._

_They would be shocked at my writings if they ever read them. Not that that will ever happen, but sometimes I wish they would. Sometimes I know I'll burn this no matter how much it keeps my sanity intact if I knew they knew this book existed. Other times, I'll wish someone would accidently pick it up and read about my dreams, my thoughts and the reason why my face is the only skin they've seen._

_I wonder, on some of the bad days, if they've ever wonder why I wear a full body-suit with gloves and a helmet. And under the helmet I wear make-up and piercings._

_Distractions._

_Apparently you have to be a seer to actually see_ me.

_Or LL._

_Even Hedwig could see me._

_Th-_

...

"Is that a  _diary_ , kora?"

Gloved hands blurred as they simultaneously shut his book while snapping the quill and shoving both into a pocket before zipping it  _away-awayfrompryingeyes._  He fluidly stood up and glared fearfully into bright blue,  _curious,_ and slightly mischievous eyes belonging to one of the most  _stubborn_  ex-Arcobaleno Skull had the displeasure of knowing.

With a squeak and a carefully timed 'blunder' Skull shot up and banged his head into Colonello's own head, sending a shot of magic and Flames to his head to take away the pain and bruise the force of the blow would have resulted in. With a shout and a moan of pain, the former Arcobaleno collapsed to the floor hands clutching at his injury. While he and reborn frequently crashed heads, Skull's own was still covered in a thin, but strong layer of magic and flames.

His heart was racing and his voice was still pitched high in his fear at his almost discovery as he babbled mindless apologies and hurriedly stumbled to the door to escape. Fon had looked up at Colonello's voice from his place sipping tea, but now he was staring at Skull's back. Lal, either intentionally or purely by accident was rarely seen away from the blonde sniper so she was already boring her gaze at the still fumbling Cloud. And just like Skull's luck, Verde and Yuni stalked in from the side door that lead to the basement where the mad scientist kept his  _things_. Their attention was also on the Cloud still desperately trying to open the door.

With a ' _click'_  his butterfinger finally managed to unlock and open the barrier between him and freedom. The instant he yanked it open, the door to Reborn's room slammed open and the hitman (to Skull's absolute  _horror_ )stepped out, a bright green gun firmly in his hand. His clothing was almost rumbled in its appearance and he was without his beloved fedora so the dangerous glittering of his eyes was clearly seen across the dinning room, the living room and to the front door.

The front door in which Skull stood, still trying to actually make it  _out_  of said place.

Skull promptly began to curse Verde for forcing them to live together in order to de-infantize themselves. He swore at Yuni's desire for family that that also lead to the forcing together. He then made an oath to punch Kawahira in the face for not thinking of a solution to the Curse centuries sooner because the Curse lead to Yuni lack of family, which lead to her desire for a family, which to the seven of them being together in the same house. Skull also promptly and without a thought to the Mist, whose magic and Flames were seeping out of her…er…his…their room, pulled his newly found and slightly/significantly stronger magic closer, slamming the door behind him to hide his silent Apparation.

Thus while Skull was cursing those to blame for the misfortunate of a very stubborn and now very curious ex-Arcobaleno discovering his writings, said very stubborn and curious former Arcobaleno had opened the previously closed door to see nothing at all. No one in the mile wide clearing free of hills and trees and frankly  _anything_  to hide behind or under in the three seconds it took Colonello to witness what  _should have been_ one Skull de Mort scurrying from view. As the Saviour of the Wizarding World was still swearing against his stupidity, Viper had come into the room where now all the once Arcobaleno were gathered. Viper pressed trembling fingers to the wall in some kind of support as their breath caught in their throat.

"You will forget this," Viper said, a statement of fact with an edge of an almost hysterical amusement.

Reborn swung dark, glittering eyes towards the Mist, the question clear in his gazez.

Verde was the closest, but they all caught the wide grin with a tinge of madness on their Mist's face.

"Not literally, but you will never bring this up again," Viper swung their eyes to Colonello, glaring fiercely at him.

Colonello nodded quickly, not wanting to piss off the Mist while he was in this mood. Satisfying, the purple cloaked person swept around and vanished into violet Flames.

"What the hell was  _that_ , kora?"

 

O.O-O.O

 

Skull paced.

With large almost stomping steps, tugging a hand through his hair and trying so valiantly to stop his shakes. He only half remembered to take deep breaths, hold them for a moment and release, as he spun around to glare darkly towards the direction he came. He was outside. No one was in sight. There were trees and a stream and a cliff.

He was alone. He should feel safe, as he always did when he was away from the rest of humanity. But all he could feel and all he could think about were the jumble of emotions and  _ohmerlintheyfoundouttheysaw_  and he knew he should burn it. He  _promised_  himself he would  _burn_  it, yet he couldn't bring himself to erase the only remains of a life no one save only his closest and dearest friends knew. The dreams of death, the story behind each and every one of his scars. Those pages spoke of his childhood, of everything he learned of his parents, of the enemies he killed and the friends he saved.

It held the faces of the dead he failed, of Cedric Diggory and the graveyard, Sirius Black and the Veil.

He  _couldn't_  burn  _this._

So he climbed a tree, cast a  _Reparo_  on his quill and allowed his magic to leak through the air in an effort to avoid anyone coming so close to him without noticing. And slowly, he began to write, unaware of a Mist totally tuned in to every drop of magic he was releasing.

_..._

_They found out._

_..._

He wrote shakily, sorrow, guilt and desperation showing through in his hand so easily.

_..._

_I wasn't paying attention, he was just there and they_ saw.  _Not this, never this, but he said 'diary'. He said 'diary' and all I could remember was when GW was laying on the stones and she wasn't moving and He was there and I was dying. Did I die? Fawkes was there and I don't remember not remembering but it's not a diary, it will never be a diary. Even if I write my soul onto these pages, never will I ever be Him._

_Merlin, how many times have I sat poised to write and could not bring myself to pen a single word for fear of another writing's to suddenly appear?_

_I was so surprised when LL handed me this with that look on her face. She was holding NL's hand and she handed it to me. Many times since then, I've wondered if she knew I would leave. If she could see the broken pieces, or the same face I see when I look into a mirror._

_I hate mirrors._

_They remind me of so many lost things._

_Someone must have knew, surely someone knew? They were my friends and they fought with me and they had to have known when they looked at me. AT knew. She always welcomed me when I would come for TL, no matter what I looked like._

_My Teddy._

...

At the thought of his now grown and married godson, Skull relaxed. His emotions began to settle now, now somewhat calmed and his writing smoothed out into the elegant script Hermione had envied, once upon a time.

_..._

_He's grow now. He's beautiful and he looks so much like his father. He's like his mother and so very much a Marauder. I taught him his form, a wolf as his father. I taught him right from wrong and spoke of the greatest pranksters of my generation and his father's. GW's son and surprisingly DM's son are his friends. Friends such as RW, HG were to me._

_I taught him to do what is right instead of what is easy._

_I told him the stories behind the words on my hand._

_I was there when he married B &FW's daughter._

_I was there when his first child was born._

_I couldn't hold her. I was a child myself, but she was beautiful._

...

Skull paused as a drop of liquid hit the thick pages. Carefully, with ink-stained hands he touched his damp cheeks. He hadn't been to see his family is at least two years. He had felt the fading and the weakening of his Flames and knew, perhaps, Death would come for him and it might actually succeed in taking him. His goddaughters and godsons and grand-goddaughters and grand-godsons were all grown now and starting families of their own.

Teddy was the only one who knew of his previous condition, Teddy and Andromeda. Then it was his wife and their children. Of course, he figured Hermione knew he'd been cursed. Which is why at Christmas, when the Weasley Family would gather together, everyone would sit and tell stories of Harry James Potter. That was why when presents mysteriously appeared at special days and the children always asked where it came from, they would just smile.

His tears were coming faster now. He carefully closed his book, sliding the quill into the spine and pulled his knees to his chest and silently cried. The quiet sobs you didn't want anyone to hear because they were yanked from your chest, gasps and moans of pain barely audible. These were the sobs he had become accustom to. Not the screaming denials at Sirius's death, nor the overwhelming guilt and brokenness at Fred's.

His shoulders were still thin, he had never broken his almost-but-not-really-eating-disorder. After all, when you're starved for ten years, then you have an influx of food for ten months followed by two months of near starvation, you're bound to develop issues. He always hated July and August. Ever since he was a child. The hottest months in which he work outside in the garden, the days he always spent locked in his room. Alone.

He was almost fifty years old now. He still looked exactly the same as that day when he died.

Two years was all it took for the Potter Luck to act up and his stuntman career died a quick death at the body of an infant. He had been nineteen when he discovered Flames.

This was, as usual to his luck, after he was reduced to an infant which caused the loss of his stable magical core and brought forth his Flames ever so easily. He had burned for three days straight, trying to control the purple fire that didn't burn. He learned how to use it in an equally short time. When he finally found out just what he had gotten himself into, he burst into hysterical laughter.

Only Harry Potter would permanently change his hair color and eye color to the exact color of a Flame within himself that he had no idea existed. Then again, he was Harry James Potter no longer, rather Skull de Mort.

Harry James Potter was dead, after all.

Skull stood, throwing himself out of his perch, landing smoothly on the ground. He held his book in his hands, taking in the wore and tattered pages stained with tears and blood. The faded ink of protection charms and notice-me-nots.

He warred with himself. He could go see his  _family._  His  _friends._

_Reborn would find out if he left._

It was just for two more weeks. Two more weeks of living together with Reborn, with Colonello. Verde basically ignored him since he refused to be a lab rat and he was busy cataloging results from his growth serum. Fon drank tea with him occasionally so no worries there and Lal saw him as a child. Lal obviously had only one thought when it came to children. Which was: beat it out of them until they become adults.

Skull sighed heavily before the spun around and Apparated to the covering of trees nearest to the house. He had probably only been gone an hour or so. He glanced down to his book, leather bound, wore and weathered. With a quiet sigh of resigned acceptance, he unzipped his jacket and slipped his book into its hiding place. He Conjured a mirror to see if he looked like he'd been crying.

Sure enough, red puffy eyes and a wan, pale face.

He had never been good at the subtle magics. Still, he could do an  _Episkey_  and hoped that worked. Placing his hand over his face, he muttered the incantation and was rewarded with a tingle indicting it worked. He checked his mirror just to be sure and smiled slightly to see he looked normal. Banishing his mirror back into nothingness, he determinately took a step forward, towards observant eyes and unwanted curiosity.

Unfortunately, the thought that a certain Mist would be the one who would forget about money in order to satisfy their own curiosity never crossed his mind.

When the door opened, casting light on all six former Arcobaleno gathered at the table, the first glance was to Viper. Not to Skull who seemed so intent on ignoring his surroundings. The Cloud stalked over the room, coming closer until he passed them all right up, never once allowing his gaze to waver from the hallway that lead to the safety of his room. Not even Reborn would dare enter another's room without permission. It was one of Luce's first rules of living together in the beginning.

Viper, however, had to say only one thing to bend the unfortunate Cloud to his will.

Or, so they thought. After all, they knew Skull was weak, a coward.. Pathetic and so easily manipulated. So they opened their mouth and spoke, almost gently.

"Skull, you call yourself 'DeMort'?"

His steps froze, instantly. Reborn's eyes sharpened to the purple-haired youth as both Colonello and astonishingly Verde perked up at this unexpected reaction. Skull didn't turn to face the Mist, keeping his attention to the remaining distance between him and his goal.

"I usually go by 'Skull'."

Fon's eyes narrowed at the thrum of-was that  _anger?_ \- in the now stranger who had taken their Cloud's place. The tautness of his body, yet the relaxed muscles spoke of an experienced fighter. His voice had deepened from his childish squeak since the undoing of the Curse, but it still retained it ability to endlessly  _annoy_  yet this? This tone he adopted was solemn and  _warning_. Off to the side, he saw Reborn discreetly reach for a gun, the same thought of ' _Imposter?'_  running through their minds.

Viper's manner reminded everyone of that one time they had discovered a target kept all his monies in gems and precious metals. Said target was a very good information broker. Information and money were basically was they lived for. They longed for those two things. No one knew why, and they weren't inclinded to enlightened even if money was involved. Anyone and everyone all knew Mists were crafty, careful and borderline obsessive with anything they set their sights to. Viper had prided theirself in information with a hobby of collecting money. Mammon?

Mammon had gone for the money first, information second.

Reborn had caught on first, his thoughts going miles per second. They had seen or understood something about Skull which would lead to information  _and_  money, information Viper  _wanted_. Usually what Viper wanted, they got.

Said Mist, stood up, pushing their chair back and taking only a few steps closer to the still unmoving Cloud. They spoke quietly, yet their voice easily carried.

"Have you ever heard of Voldemort?"

 

O.O-O.O

 

Glass shattered against the wooden floor as Yuni's cup fell through limp fingers. Reborn was on his feet and by her side in an instant, concern shining in his eyes. She turned as pale as snow, her expression one of horror and disbelief. The tension in the room shot up as an unexplained chill entered the room. Fon stood, discreetly shifting into a battle-ready stance at the feel of frozen fingers against his back. A pained moan escaped past their Sky's lips as she curled into herself in a half-hearted attempt to banish the cold.

" _Dios mio,"_  the words were more of a prayer than of an exclamation of shock falling from the young girl's lips.

She lurched off her seat, falling unsteadily into Reborn's arms, her eyes fixed on Skull's back. Viper had backed away from the Cloud the instant the glass had fallen from Yuni's hand, a little off balance at the affect that name had on their surroundings.

"Please," she breathed desperation coating her words, "please let it not be."

Skull swiveled on the balls of his feet, turning only his head to stare almost  _amusedly_  at Reborn, holding onto a pale and trembling Yuni. At Fon, his body lacking it's usual relaxed state, tense as a leopard about to pounce. At Colonello who had moved to stand at Lal's back, at the ready as both Rains palmed a knife. To Verde who had snapped his pencil against his notebook, in the middle of a complex equation, unease written plainly on his face.

Skull smiled, sharp and brittle, moving his eyes suddenly so bright to stare back at Viper. This was so unlike their child Cloud, the stuntman who everyone called 'Lackey', the coward that ran away at the first signs of trouble.

"Would you pay me to answer you question?"

His voice was smooth and had the Mist stiffening at a sense only they possessed, moving in an aborted step  _away._  And Skull smiled wider as he deliberately took a step closer.

"Would you answer my questions so I would answer yours?"

When the Cloud stood so close to the Mist that he only needed to lean forward to touch them, he tilted his head and his expression faded to something like broken despair and an odd twisted smirk of victory.

"I have heard of Voldemort, yes."

With that simple fact, Skull spun on his heel and finally reached the hallway which lead to his rooms. He placed a gloved hand on the wall and hissed a sentence that had Viper flinching violently that none of the others caught before he vanished into his room.

The Mist instantly crumbled to the floor, as if his legs had refused to support his weight any longer.

" _Carus suus eum, suus eum,_ " they whispered in something like awe and horror.

With an ungraceful jerk, Viper shot to their feet, eyes darting to Yuni who was still leaning on her Sun for support. They shook their head, before bursting out with,

" _Non potest esse!"_

Reborn was the only one who could understand actual Latin while the others simply spoke languages that borrowed from said dead language. His voice rung with authority and a demand, it wasn't a question.

"It can't be  _who?_  What are you speaking of?"

Viper froze before throwing their head back and laughing almost hysterically.

"When I was a child, I held no power save for my Flames, my secret those beautiful flames! Even when they took my name and threw me out of their precious noble family, I still kept my Flames secret!"

At this totally free and informative revealing of Viper's childhood that even Verde was paying attention to, the others instantly knew that whatever the Mist had gained from that question was something utterly  _terrifying._  If the answer to that simple question poised to the weakest Arcobaleno could induce an almost hysteria in the usually collected Mist, they were unsure if they wanted to know what caused it. Nonetheless, Viper was still speaking, although they had calmed somewhat.

"It was the war that made me leave for France and, as I was, I wasn't safe. They would have come for me, for my blood as pure and  _lacking_  as it was," they said, bitterness coloring their tone.

"And then sometime later I heard he was dead! The Dark Lord! Killed, his body reduced to dust yet I did not return. I built my network as they were scrambling about for heroes and villains and I knew everything they did and more at that… Fifteen years after, and he did it again..."

Viper's voice trailed off lowering his head as he reached for a chair and sat down with a jolt.

"I never noticed, after all these years, after  _everything, not_  once did I notice," they began speaking to themselves, "All that power, he  _told_ us in plain terms, he was  _immortal._  'Death  _hates_ me', why would he say that?"

"H-he spoke of D-Death as a being," Yuni's voice was small, but clearly heard.

Viper's head jerked up and the Sky and the Mist stared at each other, comprehension followed swiftly by horror etched on their faces.

"That's a  _fairytale!_ " Viper fairly screamed, startling even Verde into moving a slight distance away from the visibly emotionally unstable Mist.

Yuni opened her mouth to speak again, but she was smoothly interrupted by Reborn.

"You know who Skull was, before he came to join the Arcobaleno?"

Viper paused before suddenly calming as they turned their attention to the hitman, still expecting answers. However what came out of their mouth was not what he was prepared for.

"You didn't noticed," they spoke almost awed, "All these years and for all your keen eyes, the Greatest Hitman in the World  _never_  noticed…"

Colonello couldn't quite help the flinch that accompanied the burst of hysterical, maniacal sound as the Mist  _laughed_.

"Ye gods, blind men would see then that!"

Reborn opened his mouth, clearly intending to order Viper to speak, but a door banged and they fell into silence. Skull, his stride determined with the slightest edge of impatience, stalked from his room, his helmet firmly on his head and a rug sack tossed over his shoulder. He ignored their gazes as their eyes bore into him, trying to find what was different from the normal, useless Skull they all knew. Lal Mirch stiffened suddenly, a half-stifled gasp escaping as she staggered back a step.

Only then did Skull pause.

The Arcobaleno's attention was divided between the two of them, as was Skull's.

"You can see it, can't you?"

From his tone it was clear he was smiling. For some reason that sent shivers up her spine. But she managed a nod. She could  _see it._

"I missed it for so many years…" she whispered in confusion, disbelief and an edge of guilt and sadness.

He laughed, so light and airy, before resuming his walk. He came to the door, calmly opened it and placed on boot on the porch.

"You can tell them,  _Black._  After all, one of them has seen it. The bearing of a  _soldier._ "

With a  _crack_ , Skull DeMort Appareted out of out sight as Viper, named Black, screamed in rage.

 

**(A/N Latin Translation! As told by the illustrious Google!**

_**Dear God, it's him, it's him.** _

_**It can't be!)** _

 

O.O-O.O

 

Skull Appareted to a safe house he had made over twenty years ago, hidden in the mountains of Switzerland. It was protected by the Fidelius Charm, his god son holding the secret. He didn't keep any house-elves (how could he, after Dobby?), so there was a layer of dust covering his floors and the furniture he had moved in over the years. He absently flicked a cleaning spell and headed straight towards his library.

It wasn't a large house, but nor was it small. It held the master bedroom with an attached bath, a guest room, living room, dining and a kitchen. There was a hothouse connected to the back door where he grew his potion supplies and the odd vegetable as well. There were days in the past years he spent cursed as an infant that he would just come here to take a break from reality and think upon his happy memories. Not that he actually had very many that were unmarked by future sadness and suffering, but they were enough to produce a Patronus charm.

On that thought, Harry paused in the act of opening his journal to record the day's proceedings. After hesitating only a moment, he flicked his hand, summon his old wand and thought on a happy memory. Prongs burst forth and galloped gaily around his study as Harry smiled fondly. The patronus turned and looked at him and he spoke.

"Teddy, the Curse has been broken and I am in the process of regaining what was lost. I won't be able to visit you quite just yet, but if you want you could inform the others. They'll probably be angry and I can understand if they don't wish to see me, but let them know I'm safe, okay?"

Harry waited a fraction of a heartbeat before he added softly,

"I love you,"

And he released the hold and Prongs bounded away to one Theodore Lupin-Black. Satisfied, he leaned back in his chair and picked up a quill, the fire in his veins cooling from its' height incited by Viper's question. Putting the nub to his paper, he wrote in a loosely elegant hand.

...

 _The secret is out, I suppose. V asked of TMR. That damn manipulative Mist. He wasn't exactly expecting my reaction, but my nightmares have put me on edge. That coupled with all those_ looks  _from this morning has me reverting back to wartime habits. The habits of dodging questions I didn't want to answer while not revealing any information._

_I forgot for a minute to forget to be weak._

_I should have laughed and asked if he was related to me, but the words got stuck in my throat. Honestly, I don't think even as Skull I could have claimed TMR as family._

_I'm such an idiot._

_H would have slapped me._

_RW would have given me one of those_ looks  _like he was proud of me and sympathetic to drawing H's wrath._

_..._

Skull sighed and threw his quill back into its place and slouched back into his chair. Taking a hand he dragged it through his hair and closed his eyes. He was so tired, the nightmares weren't allowing him any rest. He was resigned because he had thrown permission to Viper to tell the others his story. He really shouldn't have but he was tired of being treated like a servant. It brought up bad memories. He was concerned about seeing the almost-family he had practically abandoned thirty years ago without any explanation, but he missed them so much. He still felt guilty for the deaths of his loved ones, from everyone who died in Hogwarts and overall he was just plain exhausted.

He should have pretended ignorance.

Should have pretended, like he  _always did._

 _Skull DeMort_  was a coward, a weakling with strong Flames he barely knew how to use, but healed him from certain death injuries.  _Skull DeMort_  was a thrill-seeker, looking for amusement and recognition in the daredevil stunts he preformed _. Skull DeMort_  was an attention-seeking, immature, irresponsible  _brat._

Harry Potter was  _not._

 _Harry Potter_  was a  _war hero_.  _Harry Potter_  was a leader of people, the one who stood on the front lines and fought, not because of what was in-front of him, but rather those that were behind him.  _Harry Potter_  was a teacher, someone who taught others to survive because he was good at it and he didn't want to see them die at the hands of Death Eaters.

There was one thing the comrades of Harry Potter and Skull DeMort agreed on.

Harry was so very brave.

Skull was very much a coward.

 _And now I've totally ruined three decades of everybody knowing exactly who Skull was,_  Harry thought bitterly,  _Maybe I just oughta chalk it up to the Potter luck._

Standing abruptly, Skull strolled into his kitchens, heading straight for the cupboard that held the firewhiskey. He snagged a tumble on the way and poured a generous amount into crystal glass. He took a moment swirled the liquid around before chucking it back with a nostalgic  _burn._

He thought about having for a second, then quickly dismissed it when a glowing silver wolf leapt through is walls. A deep and slightly rough voice, faintly reminiscent of a werewolf the wizard once know spoke through it's mouth.

" _Hey Dad_ ," came the cheery voice with only a catch of emotion in the tones, " _I would have loved to, in the spirit of the Marauders, casually informed the collective Weasley and soon-to-be Weasley Family that you were coming for a visit, but alas I was in the middle of said family eating dinner together. Surprise! The secret is out!_ "

There was a laugh, that almost turned into a sob midway through, but Teddy soldiered on.

" _They're not really mad at you, mostly happy and crying so visit soon_!"

The silver wolf faded away leaving Sk- Harry to the dark. He stood there in silence, standing tall in the shadows before he reached for the bottle of alcohol. He raised it a in wordless toast to the family that wasn't blood and knocked back a swig before returning to his study to pen down the events of this day.

…

...

Meanwhile, back at the Arcobaleno Shared Housing, Viper was pacing furiously across the living room while the others were in various stages of sitting down. As in leaning against the couch arm, straddling a chair, sharing a lap and using the coffee table as a desk to write observations and equations. Viper's emotions were clearly displayed in the way his Flames flickered and twisted and burned around his feet and sparked from their hands. Five minutes had passed since Skull's departure and still they had not said anything beyond the initial scream of rage.

Finally, Reborn spoke up, his tone not demanding, but rather contemplative.

"What do you know?"

The Mist stopped, took a ragged breath in and with a quick motion, he summoned a chair from the table. The chair floated gracefully in the air and came to a deliberate stop just a couple inches behind them and they sat down. To the astonishment of those present, they then pulled down their cowl and lifted their head to gaze squarely at their fellow Arcobaleno.

Clear grey eyes surrounded by inky eyelashes as the roots of his hair bled black. His brows were shapely and gave off an aristocratic vibe to  _his_  now revealed face.

"There is magic in this world," he said solemnly into the silence that followed.

"Magic to heal, to create and ensure one's safety. There is magic to take lives in the most painful way possible, to inflict pain enough to destroy your mind and three are Unforgiveable."

Reborn's eyes were glittering as he took in this information, his hand steadily stroking Yuni's dark hair as she curled around him. Lal Mirch was staring with disbelief written clearly on her face as next to her Colonello sat, arms crossed and his attention fixed solely on the Mist. Verde had paused in his note-taking at the hitman's question, yet now his pen moved rapidly across the pages. Fon, on the other hand, looked as if he knew about this information and was surprised the Mist was actually speaking.

Viper ignored them expertly with a perfected ease.

"I was born into an Ancient and Noble family. I was the eldest, maybe a heir and I was brought up as such. Lessons in foreign magicks, languages, customs. How to managed a Lordship, a household, finances and businesses. I was taught cunning and subtly, to be superior to those around him and I excelled in it. I was the pride of the House of Black."

Viper's mouth twisted and his hair ruffled under a small breeze.

"Of course, that was until the day they discovered I held no magic within me," he sounded half angry and half proud, with an underlay of sadness. "I actually had something better, my Flames that I had been using in lieu of magic but once the  _'he's a squib'_  finished computing in their brains, it was exactly two minutes before I was burned off the family tree and thrown out into the streets of Paris. I find it amusing, actually, that they never asked how I  _appeared_  to have magic all those years."

Viper sighed, shrugging almost carelessly.

"Ah well, I went on to become rich, respected, fear and very well informed while there is not one pureblood Black still alive in this day and age. Now, any questions?"

At the last question, Reborn raised a brow. Viper gave a small smile.

"Mu, I'm not going to charge. I would have told everyone soon, but I was never going to ask permission from any of those inbred-morons. I'm taking that as no questions though. To sum things up, a Dark Lord rose to power in the 70s and began to massacre the magicals that came from non-magical people, otherwise known as muggle-born and muggles. He gathered the pureblood Lords and some half-bloods and terrorized Wizarding Britain to the point his name changed from Lord Voldemort to You-Know-Who or He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named.

"Of course," he continued almost flippantly, "the reason for that was in the height of the Blood War anyone saying his name would result in the immediate arrival of his followers, known as Death Eaters, and they would torture you and eventually kill you."

Verde shot him a disbelieving glare.

"What, they cursed his name so they know where and when someone says it?"

Viper nodded.

"Yes, that's exactly it. Although it was called the Taboo. Anyway, there was only one wizard Voldemort feared and his name was Albus Dumbledore, the defeated of the Dark Lord Grindlewald, who was responsible for the wizard's side of World War II. He was also the Headmaster of Hogwart, the premier magical school. However, there were several others that he didn't exactly  _fear_  yet he avoided when necessary. Those were James Potter, his wife Lily and their best friends Sirius Black and Remus Lupin. Usually it was Sirius and James that fought, along with his wife occasionally. They were the ones who stood against him and  _walked away_."

"Sirius Black?" Lal looked interested in his first name.

Viper rolled his eyes.

"Mu, it's traditional for a Black to be named after the stars. Greatness and purity, was the idea. Again, long story short, there apparently was a prophecy of some kind and the Potter's went into hidding under a spell that hides things in your soul. They hid their house in the soul of their Secret Keeper and effective stayed hidden for about fifteen months. Until they were betrayed. They both died, but Voldemort was reduced to ashes as their son actually survived the killing curse he cast, for the first time since it's creation more than a thousand years ago.

"He was known after that as the Boy-Who-Lived. Sirius Black was taken to the Wizarding prison, guarded by soul-sucking wraiths that steal happiness, for apparently killing another friend of theirs. Remus Lupin was found to be a werewolf and essentially vanished and Dumbledore had the Potter will's sealed, completely ignoring the law which stated he was to go to his godparents."

Reborn stilled as Yuni lifted her head and stared at Viper. The other Arcobaleno all turned their attention to her and waited for her to speak.

"He split his soul. Seven times, from a young age until he had gained immortality. And thus Voldemort wandered the earth as a wraith for ten years."

Verde started violently onto her words and firmly set his pen down.

"He split his soul?" He asked carefully.

Yuni nodded.

"Herpo the Foul was the first to make a Horcrux. It is the foulest of Dark Arts and you are never the same again. You cannot be labeled as human after that, simply a  _thing._  To have actually thought about, planned and executed  _seven_  Horcruxes is unheard of and even stripped the once boy of anything resembling humanity from it."

Yuni's voice was small and shaking, disgust and horror lining every word. Reborn was silent for a moment before he spoke.

"There is a Dark and a Light side?"

Viper nodded absently.

"Light is spells that either help, heal or is just  _good._  There is Grey and Neutral as well and I don't need to explain that to you. The Dark Side? Mu, Star Wars got it right actually. It darkens the soul and it changes you into something that can never be undone. At least, that's the thought."

The Sun gave a nod as if prodding him to continue.

"When the Boy-Who-Lived finally came to Hogwarts ten years later, my contacts were astonished to find a dangerously thin, short boy who knew absolutely nothing about the magical world, flinched at casual touch and his hands were rough and dry," Viper ignored the darkening looks and the tensing of fists with practiced ease, "More so at the end of the year, there were tales of Harry Potter and his two friends battling trolls, a Cerberus, a wraith in the Forbidden Forest that slaughtered unicorns for their blood, and eventually actually fighting someone actually possessed by Voldemort. Let's not mention here that the Boy-Who-Lived actually killed his defense teacher and the lack of counseling and law enforcement involvement in the issue, yes? Let's also forget that all this was easily swept under the rug and ignored."

The sound of wood shattering had Viper pausing and turning to stare warily at Fon who was still leaning against the couch almost serenely. The fact that the table behind him had disintegrated was inconsequential. And so Viper returned to his story, wondering why the hell he was throwing all his secrets out here and doing exactly was Skull had told him to do without even demanding to be paid. He ignored that thought. He was not scared of Skull.

"Second year was slightly better. Potter escaped from by starvation from his house via one if his friend's brothers, the Weasleys, only to lose his other friend to petrifaction. And  _that_  was due to the Basilisk that was being commanded by a Horcrux of Voldemort's that had possessed the youngest Weasley. The only daughter in fact. And that was how Potter ended up going down to a once thought mythical Secret Chamber to kill the sixty foot long, one thousand year old snake with the sword of Godric Griffindor, a Founder of Hogwart. Thankfully, there was a phoenix around so when the snake bit him and poisoned him the bird cried on him so he didn't die a horrible death. Strangely enough, even as students were being turned to stone over the course of several months, the school was not shut down nor law enforcement officials called in. The Headmaster was actually dismissed but, of course, Potter walked up to his office covered in blood and tar from destroying a Horcrux and Dumbledore's job was saved!"

Fon's eye twitched as Reborn's hands spasmed and Verde closed his eyes at the acute incompetence of  _wizards._

The Mist decided to rush through third year since that was the year he had the least amount of information on.

"Third year as it turns out, Sirius Black broke out from Azkaban which no one had ever done before and made his way to Hogwarts were it turns out that Harry's friend had a rat that was a man that was the actual Secret Keeper of the Potter's and Black spent twelve years without a trail and totally innocent in the worst prison in the world. Vindicare is better than that place actually. Not by much, but still. The Minister of Magic, when he was told, insisted that all three children were confused and considering he had ordered the soul sucking wraiths called Dementers to surround the school even though they almost ate Potter's soul at least three times, I'm sure he wasn't concerned in the slightest. So the traitor got away and the three children ended up saving Sirius Black, who turned out to be Harry's godfather, and sent him away to safety."

An awful silence fell and Viper really didn't want to move on to fourth year. He dreaded fifth year. And sixth year?  _Seventh year?_  Hah. Absently he wondered again  _why the hell he was bloody doing this totally free and voluntarily._  He  _never_  spoke this much.

 _(_ He ignored that voice in the back of his head that said he owed Skull, much less  _Harry Potter_ , enough that he would probably never charge him for anything again.)

Viper decided to pull up his hood again and ignore any mysterious sounds that his companions would no doubt be making in the next hour and decided to hurry up and get this over with.

So he plowed on through the Tri-Wizard Tournament, the revival of Voldemort that nobody believed, the deaths and mysterious prison beaks blamed on an innocent man and onward to fifth year. He had insider information so he spoke of the Toad and her "detentions". He spoke of the Defense Association, how Harry Potter had mistrusted Albus Dumbledore in the last days. He told of the choices the boy had made, how he eventually lead an attack on the ministry to protect a prophecy that was about him which he had been ignorant of, which cost him the life of his godfather.

In the end sixth year was the attempts on the lives of people around Potter and the eventual death of Dumbledore at the hands of his Potion's Master.

Seventh year is when he fell silent and spoke in soft tones of the Muggle-born Registration Commission, the Hunt, how the government fell and Potter and his friends went on the run. His informants weren't sure what happened or why during those months, but he could guess from Yuni's earlier statement of  _Horcruxes._  In his youth he had listened to the Wizarding Wireless for information about the Resistance. He was a pureblood, lacking magic. After muggleborns, he would be first on the list of Voldemort's To-Kill. Bellatrix knew who he was. Bellatrix, undoubtedly Voldemort's most loyal fanatic.

So when the news came that Harry Potter, Ron Weasley, Hermione Granger and Neville Longbottom had finished off the Dark Lord, never to return, Viper was happy and  _safe._  He briefly touched on how the Boy-Who-Lived, Man-Who-Conquered spent two years in contact and visiting with his friends, the DA and managed to co-publish a book about Dumbledore's manipulations, Voldemort's madness and the incompetent of the Ministry and racism that lead to his rise. A friend of Potter's, Kingsley Shacklebolt, became the new Minister of Magic and set about making new laws, vows and oaths that prevented bribes and corruption.

"When Potter turned nineteen, he vanished from Magical Britain. No one has heard of him or from him to my knowledge since."

Reborn blew out his breath and closed his eyes, the tension in his body slowly leaking out. Fon was still serene and unmoving, yet several more pieces of furniture had suffered the same fate of disintegration as the table had. Colonello was glaring darkly at nothing in particular, as Lal Mirch was flexing her fingers against his palm. Yuni was continuing to use Reborn as a means of comfort and safety.

It was the hitman that spoke first, repeating a translation of the Latin the Mist said eariler.

"'Dear God, it's him, it's him. It can't be'."

Viper gave a swift nod.

"As in Skull is Harry Potter…?"

Viper only gave a muttered 'Mu', which the Sun took as a confirmation.

Reborn bit off a vicious curse, then another in a different language.

"How did we not notice, kora?" Colonello asked, frustration and guilt coating his tones.

"You wouldn't have if he didn't want you to. It's the Wrackspurts in his brain making his thoughts go fuzzy. Unfortunately, Skull doesn't think very many positive thoughts so they're very hard for him to get rid off," a melodic, silvery voice interrupted the Arcobaleno as several weapons were pulled out a leveled towards the sound.

There, framed in the doorway, stood a woman clothed in vivid yellow and an odd creature patterned dress. With airy blonde hair and bright eyes, she could be anywhere from twenty to fifty. She wore odd jewelry, raddish earrings and a bottlecap of some kind hung around her neck. Tucked behind a pair of ridiculous glasses was a twisted stick. It took only a second to make the connection from  _magic_  to  _wizards and witches._

Colonello stood first. He figured since the woman might have answered his question, he deserved first rights to talk to her.

"Who the hell are you, kora?"

The blonde gave a distracted smile.

"I'm Luna. I'm a friend of Skull's. Or is it Harry? Has he decided yet? Or is his Wrackspurt infestation even worse than before?"

There was a collective blink as they realized this woman was not really all that there. She must have seen the suspicion on their faces because the misty look faded from her eyes and her face turned serious.

"I fought at his side against the evil. I helped pick up the fallen stones and bury the bodies of schoolchildren. I tended to the wounded and planned more funerals than I ever wanted to hear about. Rest assured, not even an Unforgiveable is capable of turning a Lovegood against a friend."

Viper started.

"Lovegood? You're the woman that married Lord Longbottom?"

The distance returned to her expression as the Arcobaleno lowered their weapons and she nodded at the Mist.

"I am. There are no more Lovegoods, though. Just as there are no more Blacks, only their children and grandchildren."

Colonello shot an irritated look towards Viper and asked Luna another question.

"How did you find this place, kora?"

Luna smiled faintly.

"The Nargles could only take me so far and luckily for you there was no Umgubular Slashkilters nearby so I was left with no other choice than to ask a Heliopath. It seem there are a great many of them around, although they appear to live in people's souls."

Yuni had climbed down from Reborn's lap and walked over to Luna as she spoke. When she finished her answer and the room fell into an awkward silence, a tiny smile stretched the young Sky's lips.

"Who has the brightest Heliopath in the their soul?"

Luna blinked slowly, as if unable to comprehend someone had actually taken her seriously and then poised a question. Kneeling down, she peered into Yuni's eyes. For a moment they both remained still before a knowing smiling spread over the witch's face.

"Ah, I see," she whispered in delight.

Straightening up, she turned her suddenly intense gaze to Viper, moving to Fon, then Verde, Colonello to Lal Birch to rest on the darkly visage of the hitman still excluding a dangerous aura. She raised her hand and pointed a slender finger at him.

"That one burns as brightly as the sun, galloping under the sky and over the clouds, burning every single obstacle in his path."

She turned to Yuni and both girls shared a secret smile. Sadly, Luna knew she had to be serious so she turned to the rest of the adults in the room.

"He's not here, isn't he?"

She didn't not need an answer so she sighed and turned around.

"I'll return again, once he's figured out who he is. Thank you for taking such good care of him. He's a little broken and the infestation was bad the last time I saw him."

Her strange nonsensical words struck a small cords of guilt with a side annoyance directed at their blindness as the Lovegood, now Lady Longbottm spun on her heel, her strangely vivid, yellow dress flaring around her ankles as she vanished from sight with a loud  _crack._

Another moment of meaningful silence and Colonello leaned over to ask Verde, "What's a nargle? And a heliopath?"

"Nevermind that, what the hell is a Umgubular Slashkilter?" Lal grumbled.

..

..

Teddy was eating dinner surrounded by friends and family. His grandmother sadly had passed on, but his wife Victoire and their still toddler children were gathered around him. His parents-in-law, Fleur and Bill were there, along with the rest of the extended Weasley family. Scorpius Malfoy was, unsurprisingly, present, seating next to Uncle Ron and Aunt Hermione and their daughter Rose. George and Angelina with their son Fred, already grown now, followed by Percy and Audrey with their daughters Molly and Lucy. Charlie was there, still unmarried, sitting next to Ginny who had surprisingly married Dean Thomas seven years after Harry Potter's disappearance from the Wizarding World.

Molly Weasley bustled in, followed sharply by her husband Arthur and smiled at her grandson Hugo and her other grandchildren by Bill and Fleur, Dominique and Louis. She had just moved to take a seat when in a bright burst of silver light, a corporeal stag galloped into the dining room, shutting down conversations and bringing tears to several pairs of eyes. Ron and Hermione were out of their seats, grasping their wands hope and joy painted over their faces as they stared at the Patronus. It's mouth opened and a familiar voice spoke.

_"Teddy, the Curse has been broken and I am in the process of regaining what was lost. I won't be able to visit you quite just yet, but if you want you could inform the others. They'll probably be angry and I can understand if they don't wish to see me, but let them know I'm safe, okay? I love you."_

It faded away, it's message delivered and Ron whooped, grabbing his wife and swinging her around joyfully.

"He's okay! Harry's okay, 'Mione! He's alive!"

"Ron!" Hermione screamed, "Put me down! Didn't you hear him say something about a curse?!"

Molly was clutching at her husband, tears running down her face along with a large smile. Fleur reached for Bill's hand and squeezed it happily, grateful to hear news of Harry after all these years. While the younger children grew up with stories of Harry Potter and had received several presents over the years that they were certain came from him, they were uncertain at this news. Still, they were happy for their parents' obvious joy. George turned to Teddy and grinned, a glimmer of mischief running through his eyes.

"Something you forgot to mention, ickleTeddikins?"

He laughed at the nickname, discreetly wiping his eyes as he reached from his wand. Quickly he summoned his own Patronus and sent a message back.

"Hey Dad," he said cheerfully, only a hint of something more in his tones, "I would have loved to, in the spirit of the Marauders, casually informed the collective Weasley and soon-to-be Weasley Family that you were coming for a visit, but alas I was in the middle of said family eating dinner together. Surprise! The secret is out!"

Teddy laughed, his breath catching into his throat as a tear ran down his cheek and something like a sob halfway escaped. He quickly changed the subject at the eager looks of his family and added

"They're not really mad at you, mostly happy and crying so visit soon!"

He flicked his wand again and the wolf bounded away. And Teddy leaned forward into his wife's hands and cried because he could finally see the one man who was as much as a father to him as he had ever known. And he could see him as he was all those years ago, tall and strong with firm hands and a crooked grin.

He couldn't wait for his return.

 

O.O-O.O

 

The first words Skull said as the door opened and he stepped through into the presence of the Arcobaleno were very simply, "I never wanted to be a hero."

That was mostly because he was used to people demanding answers of him as soon as he stepped through the door and he might as well get that part out of them way.

It had been an hour since Lady Luna Lovegood Longbottom's odd visit and during that time Skull had decided to leave his safe house and return. Due to the fact Skull had changed from his purple leather suit into dragon hide and Basilisk skin, still covering every inch of skin save for his face, there was a paused beat of a disbelieving silence. That might have also been because his make-up was wiped off revealing pale skin, his bandages and piercings removed showing faded scars and a  _very_  young face.

They didn't feel as if they had the right to ask any questions considering Viper had just basically blabbed all his secrets. So they stood, watching every twitch and movement the Cloud made, trying to determine exactly who this new person was.

Skull was a stuntmen. He was loud and flamboyant, attention-seeking and vain. Skull was in it for the glory, the trill and the money and it showed. He was a coward and a weakling who used his fame and standing to get out of fights. This was how they had known him for the past thirty odd years.

This man? This man was… _not._

He was weary. Tired and exhausted, emotional, mentally, physically and it was all so  _obvious,_ practically glaring them in the face. His shoulders were squared and stooped with an invisible weight. He held a presence of sorrow, compassion, danger and even guilt mixed in a confusion contradiction. His every step was deliberate, graceful and smooth, absolutely silent and he moved with an odd grace, like he was refraining from twisting and turning as his fingers continuously drew circles in the air perhaps unconsciously. A thrum of an unfamiliar power was dogging his wake, not visible, yet easily felt along their skin, sending their senses tingling.

Skull's gaze was steady and resigned. Solemn and heavy, as if silently judging and finding them  _disappointing_  as he looked each man and each woman in the eye before moving to the next. When he came and stopped on Yuni, he twitched.

"I never wanted to be a hero," he whispered softly, repeating his opening words. "I never wanted to fight, to see those I called friends, family and student die in horrible agony or as blissfully swift as only the killing curse could bring. I was demonized and spat on. I was feared and mock, revered and worshiped. One day I was the Savior, the next, a new Dark Lord. An honest, polite young man making his parent proud. An attention-seeking liar, spitting on the sacrificing of his mother and father. Truthfully, they laid their expectation and burdens on me, begging me to save them in their darkest hour and throwing me to the side when they held no need of me."

They all were silent, still unable to find the words to actually say anything. So Skull continued, a tired smile curving his lips, for once not stained purple.

"If I were to ask you, who Skull DeMort was, tell me what would you say?"

The words immediately jumped into their minds.

_Lackey. Weakling. Coward. Arcobaleno. Cloud. Stuntman._

Skull nodded as if he could read their minds and asked another question.

"And what of Harry Potter?"

_Hero. Savior. Soldier. Teacher. Wizard._

"So vastly different," he said still staring intently at Yuni, "But you want to know what the biggest difference is?"

He didn't wait for an answer he just smiled, so weary and so old, looking out of place on a face so young with innocence still staining his eyes and he said,

"Skull DeMort was  _free_. He was not called to lead, nor was he asked to protect. He was weak and not a single person would make him fight to end wars, restore an entire way of life, nor would he ever be called to fix the broken. Harry Potter was a pawn, a beloved chess piece, raised to die when the time was right so the others would survive and Riddle would die. He was ignorant and just trying so hard to live with the expectations and the death of so many people he both loved as family and cared about."

Skull sighed, deeply and sadly and ruffled his hair absently. He took a step forward, and ignoring the looks he couldn't even understand that they were shooting at him. He was tired and wanted to sleep. So he walked back into that hallway to his room. He spoke as he went, offering some kind of forgiveness because the guilt on their faces unsettled him. It tugged at something in his heart and he really didn't want to see those expression so similar to his own on theirs.

"It's not your fault, you know. I've hidden the cunning and ambition under the bravery and courage so that not even my closet comrades saw until it was necessary. I've hidden scars and bruises decorating my face in plain sight and not a single eye saw. I was a snake in a lion's den and I was praised as the golden Gryffindor. I, who was more suited to the silver of Slytherin. I am no amateur of hiding and keeping secrets even from those that seem to know me best."

Lal Mirch scoffed and raised her voice into something just short of a yell.

"We've known you for thirty-odd years, and I have the memories of an extra ten! We should have seen something! It's not like-!"

"It's not like what, Lal Mirch?"

Skull whirled around, interrupting the Rain with uncharacteristic anger decorating his face.

"It's not like I'm a different person,  _right?_  That's exactly what I am!" he spat vehemently, "I was the snake in the lion's den, the strongest pretending to be weak, I am the abnormal hiding out in the normal and I am the freak in nature!"

The panes of the windows began to rattle and the wood began to creak in protest as Skull stalked forward to put his face inches from Lal's own.

"You know nothing of me. My anger, my secrets, what little joy and happiness I have,  _you_   _know_ _ **nothing**_ _,_ " he hissed eerily similar to Viper's pet.

He didn't take a step back, rather Lal did, and he switched his attention to the hitman. Reborn was, as always, calculating and could not be read. But there was a twist to his expression, something that was different. And at the moment, Skull did not care. For  _years_  he had called that man 'sempai' and he had catered to his whims. Being called to Japan from halfway across the Earth, more than once at a moments notice. Being forced to play down his abilities while in his presence and doing the odd job for him. All those times he looked down on him, the demeaning tasks and subtle insults. Reborn who saw him as  _weak_.

Even if he was pretending, the fact the hitman didn't see him as a comrade, someone who shared in his curse and probably had the same crappy childhood they all went through, that hurt him. He looked on Lal Mirch, Colonello, Fon, Viper, Verde, Luce, Aria, Yuni and Reborn all as comrades and he would have done anything for them. When Lal Mirch had returned from the future and gone straight to him with her memories, memories of him dying to protect them in a spectacular blaze of fire and magic, standing tall and proud as an adult.

 _It was heroic_ , she said,  _Like a demon had risen from hell to protect us from Byakuran. So much power was flowing out of you and you turned to us and_ swore  _on Death you'd protect us. You did, you know. He couldn't find us no matter how hard he looked for months afterwards._

The look on her face was awe and shock, disbelief, something like sorrow and gratitude as she  _saw more._  He  _obliviate_ 'd her without a second thought.

It was possible to use his Cloud Flames to grow his body into his original one. It was possible, but it  _hurt, hurt, hurt_  and more importantly, he only had a few minutes before it would break down and he would either die (as in his body vanishing into dust to be painfully reformed  _months_  later) or return to his child form. Considering it was a battle he used it in, burning magic and Flames, he had no doubt it was a suicide run. He also had no doubt that Lal was the only one with the memories of him doing that.

So Skull's gaze turned into a glare as he looked at the hitman, most definitely the greatest in the world and he sneered, worthy of his once potions master.

"Do you remember, Reborn, that day you came back from the future?"

He ignored the startled looks as Reborn hadn't really mentioned anything save several passing almost vague comments, mostly leaving the others to be told by those around them that had received their memories.

"I wonder what you thought when you heard about my death? Did you perhaps think I was a liar, a coward or that I had died from my stupidity?"

He spun around on his heel, not wanting to see the expressions on their faces. Perhaps he was wrong, but at this point he really didn't want to find out. His shoulders were tightened and he could feel the heaviness in the air from his rising magic.

"I cannot die, regardless of a Curse, no matter from what power it comes from. True, my body might have been rendered to dust and with the level of Flames and magic I used it might have been years before I would have been able to return, but I  _can't die, Reborn._ "  
Skull opened his mouth to say something else, probably another scathing remark,  _something_ , just randomly throwing out various accusations, anything to make them feel some of the pain he had for the past thirty years, but he was cut off by the sharp  _crack_  of Apparation. Since he was already facing their entry point, Skull immediately recognized several things about the four wizards that just appeared before him.

Black robes, shadowed white masks, and each gloved hand cradling a dark sphere.

Harry didn't hesitate. These weren't Death Eaters, but they sure as hell weren't here for his continued health. His hand shot out in the air, curling around the Elder Wand and he dropped into a dive, flicking up a high-powered  _Protego_  to defend against the rapid fire stunning spells that they shot at him. Silent spells he had mastered, and with his Seeker reflexes along with his experience, regardless of their swiftness, Harry was  _faster_. He tossed a cutting curse at one's hand, narrowing his eyes as there was no scream as the black sphere fell to the floor and the figured staggered backwards. Harry quickly Appareted to dodge several frankly worryingly  _Dark_  curses and returned with a higher level of stunners that tended to cause issues in the target. However, as soon as one crumpled into unconsciousness, all four whirled away via emergency portkey.

Harry paused, the wand still extended in his hands, his breath exhaling in the silence as he flicked a glance towards the Arcobaleno, all brandishing weapons and Flames in various advantageous points behind and to the side of his shield still shimmering in the middle of the room. With a sigh, he slouched against a nearby wall and slid to the floor. He tugged his hand through his hair and raised an invisible cup in a toast.

"Here's to the Potter Luck," he bit of resigned acceptance and bitterness in his voice, "if you manage to get another curse tacked on to negate it, it'll force you to make it all up."

At these words, there was another  _crack_  and a tall, broad shouldered, dark haired man dived out of the wall of a bullet from Reborn's gun. He came up a shield in place and his hand's raised.

"Whoa! I'm Neville Longbottom and I'm a friend of H-er…Skull's!"

The hitman didn't have time to lower his gun before the wizard caught sight of their Cloud and dashed over, worry and concern on his face painted clearly for them to see.

"Damn it, Harry, they already found you?"

Skull smiled crookedly and laughed dryly.

"You know my luck, Nev. If it's not the DADA teacher out to kill me, it's snakes and traitors and another assassination attempt. Don't tell me," he added something like amusement shining in his eyes, "there's a new Dark Lord and they want the Boy-Who-Lived, Man-Who-Conqueror to go and kill him?"

At the slightly sheepish and annoyed expression his old friend made, harry only sigh and added,

"Maybe I'll get another Chocolate Frog card out of this."

The man, now identified as Lord Longbottom, Neville rather, threw back his head and laughed, apparently unconcerned with the scrutiny and caution he was being regarded with.

"Not quite, mate. But you're close."

Harry snorted before turning to look at his fellow former Arcobaleno. He took in their faces, the almost visible separation between them, and came to his own conclusions. He didn't notice the expression on Neville's face. He didn't see the sheen of worry and concern present in the men and women standing and trying to understand who Skull was because he was still  _theirs._  He didn't see the signs, as he was always still wondering why anyone bothered to claimed to be his friend, even after what all he put them through. And so when he spoke, he words fell easily from his lips, still missing the rebellion and disbelief on the seven's faces.

"Verde, how long before I can leave?"

 

O.O-O.O

 

" _No_. Absolutely  _not_. You're staying here."

To everyone's surprise, it was Neville who spoke. He lost the sheepishness and the friendly look to his face, sudden appearing much more powerful and intimidating. He glared at their Cloud and almost snarled his next words.

"You are  _not_  doing this again, Harry James Potter. The Wizarding World could go  _screw_  themselves for all we care, but  _you_  are not doing  _spit_  just because everything  _expects_ you to."

Longbottom's hands had reached out and fisted in the strange armor Skull wore and he lowered his face and his voice, but the emotions were still clearly heard.

"We were children, Harry. We're not  _now_ , but that's not the point. It's just- it's not going to be like  _that_ -…"

Neville hung his head as his eyes teared up and his lips twisted as he harshly exhaled.

"You don't have to go Harry," he said pleadingly, "There's no ruins, no bodies and no one is calling you out into the forest, so for the love of Merlin,  _please_  don-"

"This is before the wedding."

Despite the roundabout way the two wizards were talking in, it was clearly seen on Longbottom's face how those simple, seemingly random words hurt him. He flinched and slowly released his grip on his friend before standing and whirling so his back was presented to Skull.

"It's not a Dark Lord," he said hoarsely, almost desperately, "There are no battles to be fought, no hunt to go on, the Ministry hasn't fallen, Hogwarts is in good hands and we don't need to break into the Ministry to keep a prophecy out of some idiot wanker's hands, people aren't exactly dying so there's  _no reason_ -"

"Then what is it Neville?"

The commanding, regal tones from a person they were used to,  _expecting_ , to be stuttering, quivering and dripping of fear had the Arcobaleno's attention snapping to their Cloud as he stood. His shoulders squared and his stance took on an almost noble and military air. His head was no longer lowered, but staring straight into the other wizard's back. Again, they weren't sure exactly what to do so they just watched and gleaned information they all made a point to find out later.

"Is it Death Eaters coming back from the dead? Is it the Neo Death Eaters rising up? Or is it just another Rita Skeeter in fifth year?"

"You are not getting involved,  _please_ Harry, we're not children anymore, not the last hope, there are competent people handling this! This was just a lucky shot and I came to inform you and make sure you were alright."

Harry scoffed and took several steps forward to reach out and grab his friend's shoulder to turn him around. Their gazes connected and Skull gained an intensity about him while Longbottom froze. Only a couple seconds had passed before the other man jerked free and glared furiously at Skull.

" _You_ -"

Skull interrupted the beginnings of what sounded like an angry lecture with a hard face and a cutting voice.

"Just because that greasy git was a rubbish teacher doesn't mean I didn't learn anything," he said before he straightened and smiled confidently.

"I have fought trolls, the Cerberus, werewolves, dragons, Dementors, and I have survive against Voldemort  _seven times_ , and I slaughtered a thousand year old Basilisk. I have ended two wars, endured torture at the hands of teachers, Death Eaters  _and_  Bellatrix. I survived ten years with the Dursleys, the Hunt, Dumbledore's manipulations and I am forever bound by that thrice damned prophecy because I  _cannot die_. I have no need of protection, Nev, and neither am I still a child easily malleable and able to be manipulated."

His expression softened into something like gratitude and fondness as he clasped their forearms together and stared pleadingly at his friend.

"I will go, Nev, but you just gave me something I've never really had before."

Skull smiled at the pained look on his friend's face and gave a small laugh.

"You gave me a choice and this is me accepting. So don't worry, mate, I really doubt I'll be facing something I haven't already."

...

Reborn was  _angry_. Like, seriously, seething and making a conscious effort to remain calm - at least outwardly - as he struggled not to kill someone. Here  _their Cloud_  was talking about  _fighting mythical creatures,_  talking about  _battles_  and  _prophecies,_ people  _coming back from the dead_  and was determined to  _leave._  People were targeting  _their Cloud_. Their stupid, cowardly, weakling of a Cloud that sudden  _wasn't_ anymore and Reborn was angry. They spoke of being children and fighting, of fallen ministries and torture and  _dios mio_  Skull had seemingly forgotten the seven of them were still standing there, still watching and hearing everything they said.

Again, the hitman was seriously angry.

He slid a look to Fon, staring with red eyes at their Cloud, as if seeing him for the first time, before those eyes met his and the Storm gave a slight nod. A quick flick to Lal and Colonello and the Rains repeated the action. Reborn lowered his head to look behind him to Viper and Verde, surprisingly standing beside each other and they needed no prompting to both give their acceptance. Yuni might have been the Sky, but Reborn was unquestionably the leader.

So as the conversation between the wizard and Skull wound down, Yuni carefully clenched her fist into Reborn's shirt and shifted so she was slightly hidden behind him. The Sun didn't say anything just waited until their Cloud returned his attention to him.

He didn't have to wait long as Skull look up with an expression that seemed so natural to his face, one of resigned acceptance, determination and something like longing. The youth opened his mouth, but Verde cut in smoothly.

"If you plan on going anywhere, Skull, we all have to go."

The emotions on the Cloud's face were, in any other situation, amusing to watch. Shock, disbelieve and incomprehension.

"What?"

Verde instantly leveled a scowl at him.

"Don't look so astonished! Didn't you hear me say we all have to stay together for this to actually stick? I mean, if you actually  _want_ to remain in your ch-"

"No!"

Beyond the brief edge of panic when Verde had almost said the words, 'child body', Skull had instantly closed off his face into something harder and colder.

"You cannot come. Whe-"

"Then you stay here for the next six months and twenty one days until we can safely be parted," the scientist interrupted indifferently.

Both men flinched before their Cloud mumbled something about 'bloody number seven'.

Longbottom smiled, his emotions carefully pushed back and he beamed at Skull.

"You've forgotten your inheritance, so if they want to come, it won't be an inconvenience! Besides," he added slyly, "They look capable enough to haul your arse out of trouble when it finds you."

The purple-haired youth scowled and crossed his arms childishly, a hint of the familiar childishness of their lackey shining through.

"I don't attract tr-"

"Name one time you actually managed to do something according to plan."

Skull opened his mouth, before he paused and scowled deeply. The other man ignored him and went on, amusement glimmering in his eyes.

"Also, name one time that you went through a peaceful and uneventful year."

Silence. Longbottom carefully didn't snicker as Skull visible pouted and scowled heatedly at him. He did, however, smile lightly when Reborn stepped up, a perfectly charming smile on his handsome face, providing a distraction. The hitman held out a hand, introducing himself to Neville, much to the bewilderment of Skull, who had never actually seen him do something in front of him.

"I'm Reborn," he said, "I'm a comrade of Skull's."

The wizard held out his own hand, grasping the hitman's with a firm and solid hold.

"Neville Longbottom, Harry's friend, godbother, and Hogwarts' Herbology teacher. Nice to meet you."

There was an edge of something in the man's smile. Although tall and broad shouldered, most of his physique was covered in…robes… but there was a darkness about him. Of power and determination and bright, glittering eyes.

"You will be accompanying him to Wizarding Britain to get this mess all sorted out?"

Reborn nodded, offering an amused smirk.

"He gets into enough trouble without us around. Besides, I'm looking forward to seeing where our Skull grew up."

It, naturally, went unsaid that Reborn was a possessive man and that he totally considered  _Skull_  as  _his,_ because they were the elements of the same Sky. It, as Reborn unwillingly acknowledged, was also due to the guilt that was churning in his stomach. And going by the expressions or lack of thereof on the other element's faces, this was a mutual feeling.

The Sun turned and threw another smirk over his shoulder at  _their Cloud_  and said,

"I'll go pack my bag. When do we leave?"

Skull just groaned and ignored him, but Longbottom smiled widely.

"Just as soon as all of you are ready."

 

**Author's Note:**

> Harry Potter is Skull DeMort is absolutely awesome and there SHOULD BE MORE. So...Tah-dah!


End file.
